Raymond Theodore Lahar died at the Claremont Manor on March 4, 2009 at the age of 89.

Mr. Lahar was born in Newport, Vermont on July 23, 1919, the 7th of 9 children in his family. After attending Newport High School and graduating from Hartford High School in White River Junction, Vermont, he worked as a carpenter’s helper, a lumberjack, a member of a steel gang on the Canadian Pacific Railway, a shoe store clerk and a traveling companion for a blind man, which included considerable time in the Caribbean.

With the onset of World War II, Mr. Lahar enlisted in the US Army in 1940 and completed his basic training at Camp Blanding, Florida and Camp Shelby, Mississippi.  He attended the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia and received his commission as Second Lieutenant in September 1942.  Mr. Lahar then attended Ranger Training School and Mountain Training School before being assigned to Company K, 142nd Infantry of the 36th Infantry Division. He served as Commander of Company K throughout WWII.  

During the war, Mr. Lahar served in Arzew and Rabat (North Africa, 1943) and made landings at Paestum (Gulf of Salerno/Italy, 1943), Anzio (Italy, 1944) and Saint-Raphaël-Fréjus (Southern France, 1944). He was wounded 3 times in battle and spent more than 3 years in recovery at Tilton General Hospital at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  In 1948, Mr. Lahar was discharged from military service with the rank of major.

“[The military] was very formative, very defining for him,” said his daughter, Devon LaHar. “He told a lot of stories.”

Numerous military medals and ribbons were bestowed upon Mr. Lahar: the Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters for wounds received in action, Distinguished Service Cross for “extraordinary heroism in action,” Silver Cross for “gallantry in action,” French Croix de Guerre for “exceptional war services rendered in the course of operations for the liberation of France” (presented by General de Lattre de Tassigny), Combat Infantryman’s Badge, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon, American Theater Ribbon, 4 Bronze Stars (Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France and Northern France campaigns), Bronze Arrowhead (Salerno and Anzio, Italy; Southern France), American Defense Medal, World War II Victory Ribbon and Distinguished Unit Citation.

After the war, Mr. Lahar applied to the CIA, hoping to become an intelligence agent. A specialist in foreign languages, he was a prime candidate for the CIA and was offered a position. However, the job would mean residence on the East Coast, and Mr. Lahar’s health necessitated a warmer climate. Disappointed, he declined and began progressing toward a career in education, in which he was highly successful and fulfilled.

In 1952, Mr. Lahar received his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State College and, in 1954, his master’s degree in English literature from Claremont Graduate School (now University).  He also studied at University of Notre Dame, Michigan State University, University of Maine, University of Vermont and University of Tours in France.

While attending Arizona State on the GI Bill, Mr. Lahar met his future wife, Nancy Lou Garland, who was teaching elementary school in Mesa, Arizona. They lived in Pomona for 51 years before moving to Claremont Manor in January 2007. 

Mr. Lahar had a long and distinguished career as an educator. From 1954 until his retirement in 1984, he taught secondary-level English, Spanish and French at Emerson Junior High School, Pomona High School and Ganesha High School in the Pomona Unified School District.  He also taught college English at Mt. SAC and Oregon State University.

During the 60s, Mr. Lahar served as president of the Associated Pomona Teachers, the Pomona Unified School District teachers’ union. During his tenure with PUSD, he was honored as Teacher of the Year at Pomona High School. He was also recognized for professional excellence with 2 prestigious Fulbright teaching fellowships at the University of Messina, Italy (1960-61) and the University of Athens, Greece (1966-67).

Mr. Lahar’s other affiliations included the National Retired Teachers’ Association, for which he served as the scholarship chairman for the Pomona Valley Division, Musicians Club, Friends of the Library (Pomona, Claremont), Historical Society of Pomona Valley, Old Stone House Historical Society, National Council of Senior Citizens, 36th Division Association, Military Officers Association of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart and Legion of Valor.

A celebration of Mr. Lahar’s life will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Pomona Valley Memorial Park/Mausoleum, 502 E. Franklin Ave., Pomona. 

At Pomona Valley Memorial Park/Mausoleum, he will be remembered with a space beside his wife, Nancy Garland Lahar, who died in 2008 after 54 years of marriage, and beside his parents-in-law, Horace Allen Garland and Hazel Marie Garland. Mr. Lahar’s inurnment service will take place with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia this spring.

Mr. Lahar is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Devon LaHar and Richard Barrett of Castro Valley; his son and daughter-in-law, David Lahar and Julie Westcott of San Francisco; and by his grandchildren, Ryan Barrett of Palo Alto, Vanessa Barrett of Oakland and Djuna and Livia Westcott-Lahar of San Francisco. 

In lieu of flowers, Mr. Lahar’s family suggests that memorial contributions be made to his family’s lifetime church, Trinity United Methodist Church, 676 N. Gibbs St., Pomona, CA 91767.